Apocalyptic Deceptions
by PiecesInTheirGames
Summary: "She was so vulnerable with her shoulder-length blonde hair framing a face made up of watery grey-blue eyes and soft features. Even the tear tracks down her cheeks weren't enough to distract his attention away from her eyes." Words and appearances are all that can be trusted in an apocalypse but appearances can be deceiving and lies undetectable. Slight-Governor/OC/Rick (season3)
1. Chapter 1

**New story, welcome to Apocalyptic Deceptions. Eventual Rick/OC but I don't like to rush things or throw characters together so trust me when I say eventual. Set in season 3 and of course we don't know how the mid-season finale, or the rest of the season, will turn out yet (as of 21/11/12) so I can't say whether this will follow the storyline exactly.**

**Don't know if this idea has been done yet, though it probably has, so I'll say now that any similarities to other stories are purely coincidence.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

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Chapter 1 –

She ran; the heavy footfalls of the men around her echoing through the forest in time with her own racing heartbeat. Using the slightness of her body to her advantage, she pushed harder, faster; she had to get ahead of them. They were closing in now. They had located their victim and now they would teach them a lesson.

Her eyes darted around her as she jumped over fallen branches and weaved under lower ones, snagging her hair on occasion but it didn't break her stride and soon the men were behind her, suddenly dispersing themselves after a sharp whistle from their leader. She could see another figure ahead now, mimicking her own movements as he too sped through the forest.

He glanced back, checking for pursuers, but only seeing a single woman; her expression filled with desperation and fear. Her head was darting from side to side then to the back as if she too was checking who was following her. But the man recognised her. She had been with them so why was she now acting like she was running from them? He risked another glance at her, still wary, but it was enough for him to need to slow down and for her to gain ground.

"Please," she called out, a British accent very prominent in that one word. Her voice was breaking though as if strangled by tears and the helplessness in her tone was all too evident but still the man wasn't stopping. "Please, you have to help me! Please!"

He still wasn't slowing but the glances at her were becoming more and more frequent as he battled in his mind whether or not he could trust her. The basic instinct to survive spurred him on as if something was telling him if he stopped now, he would surely be dead in seconds. However, even survival instincts weren't enough to make him carry on when a heart-wrenching scream tore through the trees. He paused in the middle of a clearing, looking helplessly around. His heart hammered beneath his dirt-ridden shirt, his senses strained to detect the slightest movement as he ran a hand through his lank and greasy hair. He was truly lost now.

A sudden snap resonating around him caused him to turn, terrified, only to find the girl tumbling out of a thicker gathering of trees and barrelling straight for him. He had no choice but to catch the falling young woman in his arms and steady her. Her hands immediately sought his shirt, clinging to it as if her life depended on it, whilst her head still swung frantically to each side.

"Please," she repeated, still clawing at his shirt, his arms, anywhere she could reach. "Those men… they kidnapped me. They'll kill me… please, you have to help me!"

She was so vulnerable in that moment with her shoulder-length blonde hair framing a face made up of watery grey-blue eyes and soft features. Even the tear tracks down her cheeks weren't enough to distract his attention away from her eyes. He moved his hands down her arms and squeezed her biceps slightly to gain her attention.

"It's ok, I've got you- they ain't here," he told her. "Calm down."

She nodded and relaxed slightly under his reassuring gaze but the tears still poured down her face. "They're coming back. They always come back… please you can't let them take me!" She was turning hysterical again and the man didn't see another choice but to pull her into his arms- if the men were near, she would need to be quiet. Her head rested lightly on his shoulder but was turned into his neck. She quieted again and managed to pull herself out of his arms. He would admit to being disappointed in that moment; he hadn't held a woman in almost a year.

"We can't stay here," he told her. "Do you think you can keep it together long enough for us to find a place to hide?" she nodded again. "Good. Ok, I'm Nathaniel."

Nathaniel held out a hand for the pretty, young woman in front of him to take. She slipped her small hand into his, hesitantly, but when she looked up into his eyes, he could see the smile on her lips. He couldn't help but smile back.

He'd been about to ask her for her name too- a proper introduction. He didn't quite understand what was happening until he felt her pull him forward by his hand and then an excruciating, stabbing pain ripped through his lower abdomen. Shocked, Nathaniel looked down to see her hand gripping a knife that was protruding from his body. His eyes rose again to meet hers and the soft smile was no longer there- instead her eyes were hard and no expression showed. A small twist of her hand and the wound opened further, but he couldn't scream. He groaned as the pain was increased to an infinite level but he was paralysed to do much else. His hands were gripping her arms in a lock that must have been painful but she didn't care. A sharp pull and the blade left his body, forcing him to his knees in front of her.

She stared down at him with only satisfaction on her face- no pity, no remorse, and no emotion. She knelt down in front of him, uncaring about the blood gushing from his open wound, and their gazes locked once more before she leant forward to whisper in his ear.

"Amelia Granger."

-8-

Amelia knelt down beside the now dead body of the man she had just driven her knife into. His blue t-shirt was completely covered in blood and so she felt no guilt at using the material to wipe clean her blade. Taking his chin between her fingers, she studied his features as if she was committing them to memory. Withdrawn face, obviously starving; dark circles under eyes, obviously hadn't slept. His hair was matted with filth but it looked to be a sandy-colour and of course, she remembered the vivid green eyes.

"Shame, you were quite attractive," She said to the corpse before rising to her feet. "Don't you think Merle?"

A loud, deep chuckle sounded from behind her. "You done admirin' your work, girl?" Amelia only hmm'd in response. "Best put him down then, 'fore he takes a bite out o' your pretty lil' ass."

When she showed no attempt at doing what he asked, Merle walked towards the body, intending to drive his own blade –the one in place of his missing hand- through the boy's eye instead. He had just lined up the long, metal instrument with his target, kneeling down slightly to do so, when a gunshot rang clear. Nathaniel's forehead was blown apart, forcing blood, skin and brain matter into the air which Merle was unfortunate enough to be in the firing line of. He looked down at his pants in disdain before cocking his head to the side to glare at Amelia who simply looked down at him, her gun already re-holstered.

"What do I tell you about usin' guns?" Merle asked.

"Not to," was Amelia's reply.

Despite the situation, Merle's booming laugh surrounded them again. "You're good, girl."

It was silent in the front truck of the three-car-convoy as the so called 'research team' made their way back to the small town that acted as home in the messed up times they were living in. Amelia was sat in the back seat, behind Merle, with Tim in the driver's seat and Crowley beside her. The truck was too hot from the suffocating Georgian heat which meant the men were covered in sweat; not for the first time, Amelia wondered why Georgia had been her chosen place to hide-out.

She, absentmindedly, picked at the dried red stain on her left hand- a result of Nathaniel's blood pouring down the hilt of her knife and congealing on her hand. Amelia smirked as she laid her head against the window, looking out at the green land they were flying past, thinking about how well their job had turned out today.

They had been sent to scavenge a car pile-up that had been spotted a few days ago. By the time they got there, three men had been sitting in the bed of one truck. They'd been easy enough to take out- three quick shots to the head. Of course Merle hadn't minded the guns being used then. But they hadn't seen the fourth man, the one that turned out to be Nathaniel, until he took off into the woods.

She had wanted to be the one to catch him. It was always the chase that Amelia liked. The killing was necessary- the chase was fun. The look on her victims' faces when she caught up to them always gave her a small hit of amusement. They always presumed that because she was the woman, she would show mercy- maybe even let them live. More often than not, she toyed with them; letting them think that was exactly what she was going to do. She even had a story about how she was being held prisoner by the men around her and they were forcing her to join them, to kill. She was nothing but a skilled actress- an actress with sharp abilities and the lack of conscience that came with multiple murders. For this she was always rewarded.

The heavy wooden doors in the centre of the high wall, made up of metal blocks and tyres, swung open as the cars pulled into view of the guard and then stopped on the main street through the town. Woodbury.

Buildings lined either side of the wide street- some houses, stores, a restaurant. Lines of cleanly cut grass ran up the centre, with rounded trees were alternately placed in between. People walked freely, safe in the knowledge that nothing could get to them behind the wall- something few could say before they had reached Woodbury. There was a twenty-four hour guard stationed at the wall, the rest of the defence team were on constant call in case the numbers weren't enough and the whole town was surrounded by metal fences with only the main gate as an access point.

In past times, these precautions would seem like an excessive, and perhaps paranoid, investment but not now. These were the only things protecting the 75 residents of Woodbury from the vicious, terrifying and hungry members of the walking dead that existed just on the other side of those fences. When the dead come back to life with a craving for living flesh, there is no such thing as too precautious.

Amelia climbed out of the truck as a few residents gathered around, eager to see what the team had managed to bring back this time. Admittedly, it wasn't a lot; some clothes, toiletries, but people took whatever they could get and were grateful for it. That was one good thing about entering a zombie apocalypse- no one took anything for granted anymore.

"…just one lil' problem but Amelia over here fixed that, didn'cha princess?"

She looked up at the sound of her name, pausing in the act of reaching for her newly claimed cardigan. Merle was standing just to the side of the truck and beside him, the man responsible for making their town successful. The Governor smiled lightly at Amelia who made her way over to the two men.

"Of course she did. That's why we keep her around right?" He commented, the smile still firmly in place.

"Good to know I'm useful for something," Amelia replied, smirking at the Governor's ability to act so carefree in public. A good leader leads by example- the atmosphere in town always seemed to reflect the Governor's current mood, something which the man himself was very aware of.

"Let's go up to my office," he said, suddenly. Amelia didn't question him but the subtle glance he made down at her hand told her exactly what the problem was; she still had blood on her. The team coming back bloody always caused a stir and so they tried to avoid it. He turned to the remaining team. "Tim, Crowley, make sure this stuff gets put away properly."

After a quick 'yes Governor' to which he thanked them, Amelia and Merle were led to the Town Hall. At the Governor's quiet insistence, Amelia had slipped into the cardigan she had taken from one of the scavenged cars. It didn't quite hide the blood but it was much less noticeable. It was also a good thing the vest top she had decided to wear that day was black since the blood she knew was spattered there wasn't showing.

Amelia had been in the Governor's office numerous times for one reason or another but it never failed to feel like a headmaster's office to her with its dark wood walls, large polished desk and high backed chair. With the Governor sat behind the desk, the level of intimidation was raised even higher. Physically, he wasn't a man you would be instantly threatened by but it was his confident yet almost humble demeanour that drew people to him and made him a good leader. He was a person that demanded respect without having to order it- it came naturally to him.

"What happened?" The Governor asked them, reclining back in his chair. He looked the picture of ease when he did that but all traces of his careless nature were gone now that he didn't have an audience watching his every move.

Merle began to recount the story. How they'd got to the pile-up to find the three guys there, how a fourth guy had managed to sneak around them and so they had all set off after him into the woods. How Amelia had gotten ahead of the rest and took off on her own.

This turned the spotlight onto Amelia. "Then what?"

"I ran after him but he was pretty fast," she began. "I was told to avoid using a gun so I had to resort to other means."

"And by 'other means' you mean you tricked him?"

Amelia nodded in response. "I called out, begged him to help me but he wasn't having it so I ran into a closer gathering of trees. I screamed and he stopped. Then he let me get too close."

The Governor silently regarded her for a moment and Amelia resisted the urge to avert her gaze and shift uncomfortably. He was the only person in this new world capable of making her uneasy.

"Well you got the job done," He eventually spoke, his tone softer. "Just make sure you clean up afterwards Amelia." He indicated again to her now covered arm.

"Yes, Governor."

"Use the bathroom here. Can't have anyone seeing that."

Doing as she was told, Amelia scrubbed at the dried blood with only the nails on her other hand and a bar of soap. She was sure she herself would draw blood if she scratched any harder. Rinsing the remaining soap off her sore skin and leaving it under the running cold water for a moment, Amelia stared at her reflection in the mirrors above. She had lost a lot of weight in the time she had travelled alone through the northern states before reaching the south. That had been five months ago.

When the Governor's men had come across her, she was trying to wash Biter blood off a nearly rotten apple she'd somehow found- she was next to starving by then. The Governor had taken her in, given her food, shelter and human company for the first time in 126 days- she'd kept count. Amelia soon became an asset in herself though. She knew how to shoot, how to defend herself and only a short time after her arrival in Woodbury, she was offered a place on the defence team- the only female until Haley joined too. Still, Amelia was a valued and respected part of the team- which was why it wasn't a strange request for the Governor to invite her along to his office with only Merle.

She left the bathroom and re-entered the office to find the Governor there alone. Honestly, she preferred it that way- Merle could be quite annoying and sometimes she found herself fighting the urge to cut off his other hand too.

"Done?" The Governor asked as he stood up from his chair and walked around the desk to stand in front of Amelia.

"Yes," she replied, holding up her now blood-free hand.

"Good."

She was about to ask if that was all he needed her for- whether she was free to leave- when the Governor raised his hand and reached out as if he were about to take hold of her hair. His eyes were staring intently at her blonde curls and it took all of her strength for Amelia to not back away from him but found she couldn't tell him to back off either. Everyone felt drawn to him- she was no different. She felt his fingers dig in and her eyes darted up to look at his. Their gazes locked as Amelia felt another pull before the Governor released her. In his hand, he held a small twig that must have entangled itself into her hair in the forest.

"You can go now."

With a single nod, Amelia turned on her heel and headed for the door, distinctly embarrassed and pissed at what had just occurred despite the fact nothing had happened.

"I've swapped the schedule. You're not on guard tonight- get some sleep."

"I'm fine, I can do it." She told him, the slightest hint of anger creepy into her tone as she faced him again. She didn't want him worrying over her sleeping pattern but of course, he was protecting the town- something he clearly felt she wouldn't be able to do that night. Obviously her earlier behaviour was not being taken into account here; she'd killed a guy, a couple of Biters were not going to be a problem.

The Governor had taken place behind his desk again, looking at a sheet of paper. "It's not a choice, Amelia."

A good key to survival is to know which battles to pick- which ones you would win and which ones you wouldn't. The latter of which it's easier to simply cut your losses and walk away. The only problem with this theory was that, with the Governor, the battles were always lost which made it even harder to walk away. The Governor was like a burning flame- if you go in too deep, you'll only damage yourself. So Amelia gave in, nodded once more and went to leave but she was stopped again.

"Oh, Amelia?" she turned back to face him with a silent sigh. "Good work today."

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**So what do we think? Feel free to drop me a review.**

**I'm not sure how regular updates will be for a couple of weeks since I have got a Daryl/OC still in progress that I love writing so that one comes first I'm afraid. Plus, I'm at uni but I have four weeks off for christmas soon. Expect more updates then!**

**Thank you!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 –

"We certain it's military?"

"Yeah, saw it myself."

The plume of smoke continued to rise over the tops of the trees. Amelia leaned through the open back seat window; binoculars held up to her eyes as she tried to spot something but the endless amount of trees were blocking her view.

"Should be right around here," Caesar told them as he turned the jeep through a small break in the trees.

They were tracking down what they thought to be a military helicopter which had crash landed in the middle of nearby woods. Woodbury hadn't seen military since before the start of the apocalypse. To the residents, it was a sign that they were alone- that no one was going to help them apart from their Governor- but that morning when the loud rumbling of the helicopter's engines tore through the otherwise peaceful street, people began to speculate. Maybe the military was coming to rescue them all, to take them somewhere far away where there were no dead walking and they could actually have a hot shower without having to worry about running down the generators. Speculation was one thing but there were still some people stupid enough to actually start packing up their bags at the slightest hint of anything more and so the Governor had ordered to not let out any information. After all, when they returned with only tales of dead soldiers, rumours would burn out pretty quickly.

"Biters for miles will have heard that noise," Amelia spoke up after a moment, still peering out of her window.

"Be on your guard," was her leader's reply.

The trees quickly opened up into a bigger clearing and both vehicles pulled to a stop beside the crash site. The helicopter was definitely military, with its open sides and dark green colouring. It was propped to one side, smoke still pouring out of the top. Amelia followed the men out of the jeep, pausing beside the Governor as she surveyed the area. He ordered them to spread out and so she headed towards the line of trees behind her, the others going in different directions. Just like she'd predicted, biters began to emerge from the woods. She pulled her knife from its holster as Tim aimed his gun at the same one.

"Save those rounds until you need 'em," The Governor called back and Tim reluctantly lowered his gun as the biter continued towards him. Amelia took over; approaching it from the side as its attention was still focused on Tim. She grabbed its left arm and pushed it down whilst turning the body to face her. With easy precision, she drove the knife through its eye, twisting once for good measure before letting the now dead body fall to the ground. Around her, the other men were taking out the rest. Caesar easily took out two with a baseball bat and Shupert got the third using his bow whilst Crowley stood guard. She had no clue where Merle had wandered off to.

"Got a breather," the Governor called from beside the helicopter. "Tim!"

Amelia took off into the trees. The area seemed quiet enough but a sweep of the perimeter felt necessary. She moved further into the green surroundings but only enough so that any order from the group could still be heard. The distinct sound of biters' growls and something strangely similar to the clinking of a chain reached Amelia from her left and so she gripped the knife in her hand, heading towards the noise only for the growls to be cut short before she'd moved close enough.

"Let's roll out."

The order went ignored as Amelia, ever suspicious, continued to the spot she knew the sounds came from only moments before. Something had stopped those biters- or someone. It could have been Merle she reasoned but at least her side-trip would confirm it. She spotted the two headless biters chained to a tree before she heard the snapping twigs as indeed Merle emerged from the undergrowth. He was holding the blade attached to his arm out and Amelia nudged forward to see what he'd caught. It was then that she noticed the state of the decapitated heads on the ground. Usually the heads would still try to snap at a person but these ones were different- their entire bottom jaw and teeth had been removed leaving only exposed flesh.

"Ah, ah, ahh, easy does it girl. Mine's a whole lot bigger 'en yours," Merle spoke. Amelia frowned in suspicion, wondering who exactly he was speaking to. One of the main uses for her being with the team on scavenges was to deal with the living; innocent until proven deadly, Crowley had once described her as. She decided who lived to be taken back to Woodbury and who would die right there- when the Governor wasn't present at least. She rounded the final bush, keeping low, and spotted the two women kneeling, facing away from Merle- one holding a very dangerous looking katana sword; a weapon that would come very much in handy to Amelia. Maybe she'd be able to convince the Governor to let her keep it, after all, the woman was either about to die or be taken into their refuge- it wasn't like she'd need it.

"Now, put down your weapons," Merle continued, still unaware of Amelia's presence, but the woman slowly lowered the sword. "That's it, nice an' easy." She placed it on the ground in front of her, still in a second's reach if needed. Amelia almost admired her for that; she didn't seem like the lay down and be taken easily type. Those were always the fun ones. "Now, lemme see your hands. And spin around- nice lil' twirl around… Ohhhh holy shit."

But Amelia didn't have time to chance to fully dissect what had made Merle so surprised when the shuffling of feet sounded behind her and she was forced to crouch lower, out of sight, as a biter stumbled past- heading straight in Merle's direction. She figured she'd let him deal with it but followed silently and entered the small clearing just as Merle raised his arm and thrust his blade straight up through the biter's head without even turning around. The blood poured down his arm but he merely allowed the body to fall to the ground before removing his blade and standing.

"Now, how's about a hug for your ole pal Merle?"

The blonde woman on the floor seemed to pale even further as she looked upon him. She looked sick enough to start with –probably infected- but as her eyes flickered from Merle to the dead biter and back again, she finally reached her limit. Eyes rolled back into her head as she blacked out, her companion quickly rushing to her side and Amelia decided it was about time she announced her presence. The other woman went straight back into a defensive position in front of the unconscious blonde as Amelia walked towards them.

"Was she bit?" She ordered, ignoring the way Merle didn't seem at all surprised at her appearance. They had strict policies on infected people and all of them ended the same- a bullet to the brain. But the woman didn't seem to appreciate this as she assessed Amelia, seeing the knife held tightly, the blood spatter on her arm. She narrowed her eyes and tried to spin around and reach for her sword but Amelia was quicker. Pulling her handgun from the belt of her jeans and clicking off the safety, she aimed it at the woman's head before she'd even gotten close to her weapon. "Reach for the sword, you get a bullet in your head and I'll make sure your friend matches."

She waited a moment to allow her words to sink in and when the other woman lowered her arm, Amelia took it as a yes even if she kept the fierce expression.

"Now, now Princess. Play nice. I'm sure she don't mind answerin'… do ya?" Merle stood at Amelia's side and together they looked formidable.

-8-

The ride back to Woodbury was uncomfortably silent. The two women and the pilot were being transported in the back of the vehicles –all weapons removed and blindfolded- but Amelia didn't trust the fiercer woman, meaning she'd given little option of which car she was in. If she'd have had her way, the woman would have been on the sharper end of her own sword by now, literally. Amelia was turned sideways on the seat, one leg propped up so that she had a clear view into the back at all times but she'd spent the better half of the drive staring into the face of the woman she was quickly coming to see as her competition.

"Prep the infirmary," the Governor spoke into the in-car radio system that was linked back to Woodbury.

"_How many?"_ the voice on the other end answered.

"Three. One with multiple fractures and severe burns. Another in and out of consciousness- probably de-hydration."

"_And the third?_"

"Oh she's fine."

Amelia couldn't help the scowl that crossed her face at that, pointedly ignoring Merle's smirk from the seat beside her. The woman certainly hadn't accepted their terms quietly. In fact, if it wasn't for the fact that her friend was unconscious and Amelia was holding a gun to her head, there was no way she would have relented and then died trying to escape. The latter outcome was, of course, the more preferable. But the woman was smart and she knew when she was being outnumbered- when to fight and when to give in- and that only made Amelia watch her even closer.

"_Female?_" the voice came through again.

"Two. Found 'em hinding in the woods."

After the mention of a 'homework assignment', the Governor finally revealed they would be arriving in five minutes and, sure enough, soon after they'd past the hanging biters the lights of the Woodbury guard wall shone through the night.

"Michonne?" The tired, weak voice shattered the silence as the blonde came around once again.

"I'm right here," her companion answered but the blonde grew more restless, turning to lie on her back as she tried to make sense of her surroundings. Merle raised a finger to his lips in a shushing motion and pushed the blindfold back over her eyes; Amelia simply looked on impassively.

It was past curfew when they'd finally arrived back and so the main street was empty; which was lucky when escorting their 'guests' to the infirmary. Carrying an injured soldier wasn't easy without the help of some form of stretcher and so a bed had been wheeled out of the infirmary to take the pilot. The blonde woman was still in and out of consciousness but Michonne had insisted on taking her alone, or rather she slipped an arm under her companion's and supported her without saying a word to anyone.

"Crowley, Shupert, take the women to the infirmary," The Governor began to give the orders. Amelia slammed the car door shut, fully intending to go with the women when the Governor spoke again. "Merle, Tim, the pilot. Amelia with me." He didn't look back at her as he began to walk away, he knew she would follow and she did. They crossed the road, walking up the other side of the street before taking a sharp right between two houses and following the chain link fence until they reached an open space which was bordered in on all sides by industrial looking buildings. In the darkness, it was difficult to make anything out but the two knew exactly where they were going; away from everyone else. The area would be abandoned, not a soul in sight and so it was safe to talk. Even the Governor's office wasn't as private.

They sat down on the conveniently placed bleachers lined up against one building and the Governor reached into his pocket to pull out a lighter, quickly lighting up one of the many gas lamps dotted around. It allowed them just enough light, just enough to see each other.

"Now you can tell me what's wrong." It was a demand as much as it was a statement. So casually spoken but underneath, Amelia could hear the tenseness in her leader's voice. Of course he knew something was wrong with her- he always did. And that was why she could never lie to him; the only person in the world she could claim held that title.

"The woman," she answered, bitterness completed her tone as Amelia refused to say her name. Her hate seemed to spring from nowhere, to be grounded in no real explanation, but what Amelia had seen of her so far made her uneasy and that was a feeling she did not like.

"The blonde?" The Governor questioned, fully knowing he was not correct but to get Amelia riled up like he wanted her to be he needed to play dumb. In all honesty, he didn't trust the woman either -she was too suspicious, too careful- and in keeping with his own feelings, he trusted Amelia's senses more than he wished to admit. She'd never led him wrong before.

His comment was met with a glare but not directed at him, Amelia wasn't defiant enough for that. "_Michonne,_" she spat the name like a curse.

"What about her?"

"I don't trust her. Any part of her," Amelia spoke, surprisingly soft for the rage-filled woman. "We should have killed her in the woods." She didn't notice her slip but the Governor did- she was questioning his orders. Practically telling him he had made the wrong one. That was something he wasn't usually happy with but he wanted this. He wanted Amelia not to believe his orders were the right ones.

"And what would have been the use of that?"

"What's been the use when I've killed people before? Some were more innocent than she is."

The haze clouding her vision was making her say things she wouldn't usually say, not to her Governor at least. In the analytical part of her mind she knew she wasn't being rational in wanting Michonne dead but it was her pride that was influencing the other side- she could just sense that this woman was stronger than her in every way and that wasn't right. Eliminate the competition, she had always been told. That was what she had grown up with.

"The point is I might need her. And by that I mean _alive_," the Governor told her, reaching out a hand to place on Amelia's jaw and turning her head towards him. "Understand me?" he spoke, as if talking to a misbehaving child.

Amelia tensed at the contact, resisting the urge to slap his hand away but lean in closer at the same time. She looked down when he caught her chin between his thumb and forefinger, pressing her for a verbal answer but one that she wasn't capable of in that moment. His touch remained and finally, Amelia met his stern gaze. He could see the hurt and anger in her eyes when he spoke of needing the other woman, knowing that she herself couldn't give him what he wanted but the determination was ever present and it was that on which he counted if this was going to work. The Governor had questions that needed answering and Amelia would help him get them.

He finally released her chin but took a piece of her hair, twisting it around his finger slightly while Amelia watched his neutral expression in the dim light. She wondered briefly when her relationship with her boss had become something… more. But she couldn't define it. Sometimes he treated her like a child, other times almost like a pet and then others, the way he would look at her, it was enough to make her wonder. Like now, he'd taken her away from everyone when there was a potential threat because he'd known there was something wrong. She didn't know how to deal with that. He tucked her hair behind her ear and retracted his hand, standing up.

"Governor," Amelia spoke in her usual soft voice which was such a contradiction to the person she was. "The reason you need her, it has to do with those biters, doesn't it? The ones she chained to a tree and then decapitated." The Governor said nothing, not even facing her as she put the pieces together in her own mind. "I saw them. They didn't act like all of the others and their jaws were missing… You want to know why."

The Governor looked around the area, as impressed as always by Amelia's ability to understand the situation but he didn't answer her- there wasn't much reason to, she already knew she was correct. He offered a hand to help her stand from the bench.

"I know you plan to shadow her," the Governor spoke as they walked back. "I plan on having one of the men do it but you have my permission too. I trust you won't be as easily caught. Find out what you can."

They arrived at the infirmary and the Governor first checked in on the pilot but left after Dr Stevens told him there wasn't much to see. The man was unconscious and probably would be for a while and so they came to their next stop. After a quick warning to from The Governor to behave herself, Amelia stepped into the room behind him. Whilst her leader turned to update Merle through quiet whispers, Amelia met the hard gaze of Michonne whose scowl seemed permanently etched onto her face. She'd tensed upon seeing them enter and her companion didn't miss this as she cast a worried glance over the two. She stepped forward, recognising the Governor as the leader.

"How're you feeling?" He questioned kindly but neither woman seemed impressed by his show and the fiercer of the two stepped in front, making Amelia naturally step up to the Governor's side but his hand reached out only slightly but enough for her to notice, telling her to back off.

"We want our weapons," Michonne answered, visibly furious but the Governor wasn't at all fazed. He stepped up to her in his non-threatening manner and the movement placed him in front of Amelia.

"Sure, on your way out the front gate."

"Show us the way," the blonde spoke. "You've kept us locked up in this room." The illness and exhaustion was all too clear in her tone and made her seem even weaker than she looked, if that was at all possible.

"You see any bars on the windows?" the Governor asked. "You're being cared for."

"Under guard," the blonde protested.

"To protect our people, we don't know you."

"We know enough about you to want out of this place," she replied with disgust. "We watched you drive your knife into the skulls of two dead people, what the hell was that all about?"

The Governor glanced between the two women in from of him, both demanding an answer from him and everyone else in the room knew they wouldn't like what they heard. "They turned."

"They weren't bitten," Michonne spat back and her words confirmed to the others what they had been thinking- they didn't know. It was as naïve as it was tragic and the Governor looked like he genuinely regretted what he was about to say.

"It doesn't matter," he spoke softly. "However we die, we all turn." He waited a moment for that news to sink in before speaking again, "I put them out of their misery. It's not easy news to swallow at first but there it is. Now you're not prisoners here, you're guests. If you wanna leave, you're free to do so but we don't open the gates past dusk- draws too much attention. And you especially," he motioned to the blonde woman. "You need a solid night's sleep. You wouldn't last a day out there in your condition. I'll have you brought over to my place in the morning, return your weapons. Extra ammo, food for the road, extra meds, keys to a vehicle if you want one. Send you on your way. No hard feelings."

And with that, the Governor left the room. His 'guests' continued to glance at each other as if his offer was so unbelievable but taking that they'd been on the road this entire time, it must have seemed like it. Then one by one, the rooms occupants filtered out, following in his stead. The Governor pushed open the front doors, allowing the full view of their town to register with the women.

"Welcome to Woodbury."

-8-

Their procession had reached the front gates and suddenly it wasn't only the view of untouched houses and perfectly lined grass that the women were taking in. Merle climbed the steps, immediately falling into his role and ordering his men.

"Are you military?"

"Hardly," the Governor answered the blonde. "Couple of vets but by an' large we're self-trained."

"That's heavy artillery they're packing."

Amelia stuck close to Michonne who had picked up on her presence. She was suspicious of the weapons, of them all, that much was obvious but the Governor had the perfect answer for every question that was thrown at him. He spoke of their defences, despite the blonde not seeming to accept that a town could be fortified. Before she could think of another thing to say, Merle's whistle penetrated the night.

"Got us a creeper, Governor."

Taking her eyes off Michonne for the first time in a while, Amelia climbed the steps, eager to watch the show. The efficiency with which the biters were taken down was fascinating, even to someone like her who had seen this hundreds of times by now.

"Amelia, take centre."

She did as she was told, projecting her gaze through the sniper rifle usefully fitted to the centre of the gate. She couldn't see anything until the guy on spotlight trained it onto the biter but she wasn't needed unless there were more coming- Merle would want to take this one. They were all putting on a show and this biter walking up to their defences couldn't have timed it more perfectly. A well-aimed shot to the head and the first biter went down but two more appeared right behind it and Amelia couldn't resist the opportunity. Performing this with Merle wasn't something she even had to think about anymore. She knew which one he would aim for and vice versa because even though he wanted this, Merle knew Amelia wouldn't let him have all the fun. The two shots, both silenced, fired at the exact same times, each hitting their separate targets dead centre. The remaining corpses fell to the ground, hitting it together as if the whole thing had been practised.

"Clear," Merle called down and Amelia could imagine the smirk he would be wearing.

"We'll get them in the morning. Can't leave 'em to rot. Creates an odour, makes people uneasy," The Governor spoke, obviously speaking to his guests. Amelia took one last glance through the sniper, checking the area for movement. She was about to climb back down, to follow the Governor as he led the two women to another area but Merle caught her arm.

"Your watch tonight, Princess. Ya ain't getting outta this one."

She glared at him, pulling her arm out of his grip. His trademark grin was in place and she wanted nothing more to wipe it off his face but the Governor would not be happy to see his team fighting in front of the newcomers he was trying to convince they were good people.

"Don't call me that," she settled for and re-took her position in centre whilst Merle continued to walk up and down the wall but it wasn't long before the Governor arrived back at their station anyway. Once again moving from her spot, she stood at the top step as her leader filled Merle in on what was happening.

"They're in the room with Shupert on guard but make sure you keep an eye out. This Michonne doesn't seem like the type to be told what to do. Amelia?" He turned to her. "Start tomorrow. I'll have Rowan show them around, give them the tour, but I want you there unless you're needed elsewhere."

She nodded in understanding but when the Governor began to walk away she called after him. "Governor? The sword. Do I get to keep it?"

He only smiled at her and turned to walk away again. "We'll see."

* * *

**HI again. I was so happy with the response for the first chapter of this, glad you're liking Amelia who I absolutely love even if I am a little bias. As you can see here, the whole Governor/Amelia thing (which I had no intention of doing!) is creeping up on me and there's definitely going to be more of that before we get to Rick. Thank you for favs/alerts and to those who reviewed! In my other story I reply to reviews at the bottom but it always feels kinda messy. Anyway, I'll do it for this one.**

**Reviews:**

StardustIsMagic: Glad it worked! I honestly thought everyone would see through it so good to hear. More hair scene here and this will not be the last time either. And she definitely appreciates the Governor in more ways than one... thanks for reviewing babe :)

Leyshla Gisel: Well it was not intended to be Governor/Amelia but I guess that's kind of the direction it's going. I think I wrote in the chapter that everyone is drawn to him and they are so who knows? Maybe we'll get some of that in before Rick takes over! Season 3 is amazing so I just hope I can do it justice! Thanks for reviewing :)

Emberka-2012: Amelia is definitely fierce but maybe not as strong as she seems... character development coming soon, I promise! I swear I see her acting like such a child sometimes and I think that comes through in this chapter. Thank you for the review :)

PadMe4000: What was wrong was that I was smiling when she stabbed the guy. I actually love that scene which isn't something I usually say in my writing. She's certainly not sweet and innocent. And yes, Merle, I love him too but he would seriously annoy me if I was with him all the time so Amelia would not be too happy around him. thanks for the amazing review! :)

BurningThroughTime: thank you! I loved that you recognised Amelia wasn't all one sided. She will definitely develop more as a character, particularly when she meets the group and she's questionning herself etc. Right now, she's completely under the Governor's control and she pretty much does anything for him.


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